The Labor enquirer., 1887-01-01
For President tn 1883,
HENRY GEORGE,
OF the United states.
powDERLY AND THE ORDER.


The affairs Of the Knights Of Labor
have become public property. a natural
result Of the programmed Of rushing into
print With it's side Of every secret con-
test, bv the administration and every
d ,y's telegraph now brings us an inter
view with Mr.. Powderlv upon The in
ternah affairs of the order. No honest
nah. will pronounce an opinion until
he has heard both sides Of a controversy,
and he is coward who will bold his
peace when only half Of the story Of the
present trouble in the Knights is given
out by Mr.. Powderly through bis pres
ent able ally, the capitalist press.
The general master workmen had q
long interview with representative OF
the asssoclated press, on Monday. in
which he unbosomed himself. The
writer of this remembers a time
when the master workman hated the
sight of an associated press man, and
double. barred his doors and bolted the
transom to keep the ''hell-houndP out
of his room but then, since his col
lusion with the "H,me club" Mr.. Pow
derly has not been so particular as once
he was about his company.
The burden of his song is: "The ma
jority of the order is with Me-" This
may be true at present, and it may not
it is not true 30 far as the order west of
the Mississippi river is concerned, for
there is not one in five in this vast ter.
ritory but what ;emphaticallv con-
demns every important move made
by the master workman since the Rich
mond session. Prior to that session
Powderly was almost wOrshiped by
members of the order throughout the
length and breadth of the land, and
nine out of every ten were for him for
reelection. But he surrendered to OF
made compromise with the Home
club" at Richmond, and since then he
has not been the Powderly we knew
of old; and as this truth becomes
known his former prestige wsnes And,
unless change Of front is soon made bv
him he will be buried beneath the in.
dignation and curses Of a million men
andwomen. whose love, respect and un-
paralleled confidence he bartered for an
extended term of Office and 5000 an.
nual salary. There are men who are
devoted to the cause Of the emancipation
of the wage worker, that would not have
sacrificed place In the hearts of the
people like that held by Mr.. Powderly
before his trade with the Home club, -
for clear title to all the wealth of the
universe and an assurance of life ever
lasting. It was crime.
And what can be thought of a man
whose only argument. when brought TO
face the charge that he has BETRAYED
those who trusted him, is that 'the ma
joritv of the,or are with me7" Right
or wrong,he foolishly thinks he is safe,
If only the majority are yet ignorant OF
his acts. He forgets that 1t is the minor.
ity who, in times Of great struggle, are
always right. Only coward or knave
will shield himself behind a majority :"
the honest man takes his stand, though
he be alone.
II ls charged by some that our general
master work man,is afflicted with case
of the big-head /; this may be putting it
little strong; but he certainly has
shown a disposition of late to play the
autocrat. His recent circulars were
documents that would have done credit
TO the czar ofRussia. He forbids men,
bers of the. order to extend sympathy or
pecuniarY aid to the victims of capital.
istic revenge in Chicago. This he does
on religious grounds" He taboes the
political movements of the workers. 1t
is probable that Henry Georges suprem :
acy over himself in the workingmsn's g
politics is the cause 81 this He kills the
eight-hour strike in Chicago. The
credit Of this is either due to the infu.
ence of Father Flanagan, or the enmity
which the "Home club" holds for any
movement insugurated by trades union
lists. He abuses Socialists and Anarch-
lists, while he says that he does not
know just what they advocate. He
was once the'holder Of "red card" in
the Socialist Labor partv.] He is unl
doubtedly inspired to this by desire to
stand in with the "lsw and order" clsss
the class which has shot down like
dogs members Of the order of which Mr.
Powderly is the head, f'
In none of these cases had Mr.. Pow
--derly any more right than anv other
member to issue orders; but. unfortu
nately. his position gave him \ greater
influence. The constitution Of the order
does not give the master workman the
power to dictste what the local Assem-.
blies shall do with their funds, II they
keep in good financial standing with
the general Office; and 1t does not in
vest him with the power TO lay violent
hands upon strike ordered bv q state
or district assembly. Neither has he
the right to prescribe the limits of the
views of members upon political econ
omy or politics.